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Event: Public event

Deep Talks: Ethnobotany of the Black Hills

Rylan Sprague, a botanist and natural resource specialist, will discuss the cultural significance of native plant species in the Black Hills
May 12, 2022
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center

160 W Main St.
Lead, SD 57754
United States

Event description:

Native plants have long influenced humanity’s way of life: the plants rooted around us can determine where we live, what we eat, the stories we tell, how we heal and even how we pray.

From our sap-soaked pine trees to sugary sweetgrass, the Black Hills are no exception. For thousands of years, Indigenous communities have gathered and passed down traditional knowledge of the Black Hill's native flora.

Join us for “Deep Talks: Ethnobotany of the Black Hills” with Rylan Sprague on Thursday, May 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. in-person at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center or via livestream.

Sprague, a botanist and natural resource specialist for the Bureau of Land Management, will introduce us to the distinctive habitats within the Black Hills and how each habitat supports a unique array of plant life.

As a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Sprague will share about the cultural influence of several native plant species. Some of these species will be featured in Cangleska Wakan, the Sacred Circle Garden that will be built on a hilltop at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).

Attendees will also have the opportunity to make Echinacea tea and create their own seed starter pots with Echinacea, White Sage and Fringed Sage seeds, all native Black Hills plant species.

How to attend:

Deep Talks is held at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center, 160 W. Main Street, in Lead. The event begins at 5 p.m. MT with a social hour that includes free beer (must be 21 and older to drink) and light refreshments. The presentation will begin in the Visitor Center classroom at 6 p.m. MT.

Want to attend virtually? The presentation will be livestreamed on Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook starting at 6 p.m. MT. Register below to receive a link to watch and email reminders from Vimeo. 

The Deep Talks lecture series is sponsored by Crow Peak Brewing Company, RCS Construction, Northern Hills Federal Credit Union and Chuck and Jolene Lichtenwalner.